The play, presented by Raiders Rojos, is a fund-raiser for the organization's projects and scholarships, said Janie Landin Ramirez, author of the play and program coordinator for Raiders Rojos.

Jake Morgan, director of the play for three years, said it's the story that keeps her coming back.

"The play is about a migrant family, the Garcias, who have three children, two sons and one daughter," Morgan said. "The mother is pregnant and they move to California where they go to work for a wealthy, white family and the story goes from there."

Although her family members were never migrant workers, they worked alongside them at her family's low-income farm, Morgan said.

"The history of the migrant experience is absolutely important for this part of the world," Morgan said. "This is about education. It's very important for the kids to get an education and that's what this play is about."

Morgan has been the perfect choice as director, Ramirez said.

"She has done a wonderful job with this play," she said. "These are not actors; these are people from the community. There are very few who have experience who are acting in this play. Many of the people who were in the audience last year are performing this year."

Gloria Sanchez, who plays young Juanita for one of the performances, said playing the character with her friend Cindy Medina, also a Juanita, has been fun.

"I think it's easier because we've known each other for a long time, and we're not competitive," Sanchez said.

Sanchez and Medina, both 6th graders at Tubbs Elementary, said they had never acted before.

Medina describes Juanita as a serious young woman.

"She keeps track of everything in her diary, and she's the first in her family to graduate college," Medina said. "My mom kept talking about how it was, and this is kind of like the history of our area."

Ramirez said last year's presentation inspired many aspiring performers.

"There are very few Hispanics in theater," she said. "One reason is that we don't see that as a career possibility for us. That's what's so wonderful about plays like this. They're seeing themselves as someone who can be onstage."

Although Ramirez came from a migrant worker background, the play is not autobiographical, she said.

"It is based on incidents that happened to me, and my mother and others," she said. "This is our story. What brings it to life is that people can identify with the characters."

Many of the people who are influential in the Lubbock area were raised in the migrant community, she said.

"The migrant culture, it instilled a work ethic," she said. "I remember being 8-years-old and being in the fields being hot, tired and thirsty."

The play emphasizes education as the solution to the cycle of poverty, she said.

"The main character graduates from Texas Tech in the play, which is where I graduated from," Ramirez said. "My children all went to college."

The play had its origins as a short story which she entered into a literary competition, she said. Someone at the competition encouraged Ramirez to turn it into a play, which she did. The play was written in three weeks, she said.

"I drew a lot for experience so it was easy to write," she said. "What I'm hoping people will take from it is that you can overcome whatever situation you find yourself in if you really believe in it and are willing to pay the price."